David Makes F3 History With podium

Yevan David made motorsport history at Silverstone with his maiden FIA Formula 3 podium, finishing second in Saturday’s Sprint Race before adding a seventh-place Feature Race result to complete a breakthrough double-points weekend.

The AIX Racing driver became the first Sri Lankan to stand on an FIA Formula 3 podium after converting his season-best qualifying performance into a memorable second place on Saturday. He followed that with another strong drive on Sunday, crossing the line 11th before post-race penalties and a disqualification promoted him to seventh in the final classification.

It was a weekend of firsts for the 18-year-old: his first FIA Formula 3 points, first podium and first double-points finish, all at the circuit where he had arrived speaking of increased belief in himself and his ability to compete at the front.

“It is honestly crazy to think how much of a breakthrough weekend this was,” said David.

“To become the first Sri Lankan to score points in FIA Formula 3, the first to stand on the podium and then to finish in the points in both races means so much to me.”

“I have dreamed for a long time of seeing the Sri Lankan flag on an FIA Formula 3 podium. To actually achieve that at Silverstone was a dream come true. It is not the final dream and there are many more I want to achieve, but one of those dreams came true this weekend.”

David’s breakthrough began on Friday, when he was competitive from the outset and qualified 11th, his strongest starting position of the season. The result placed him on the front row for the reverse-grid Sprint Race and underlined a significant step forward after four demanding opening weekends.

The Sri Lankan believes familiarity with Silverstone, its high-speed character and an intense sequence of recent races all contributed to unlocking his performance.

“I think what changed at Silverstone was that I arrived with a lot of confidence,” he explained.

“I have raced here before and I have always enjoyed high-speed corners, which make up such a large part of the lap. I also came into the weekend with momentum after doing so much driving over the previous few weeks.”

“I felt at one with the car and much more comfortable because I understood how it would react. From Practice onwards, everything started to come together.”

Starting from the front row in Saturday’s Sprint Race placed David in unfamiliar territory during his rookie FIA Formula 3 season. Although nervous before the start, he found that the tension disappeared as soon as the race approached.

“I was very nervous building up to the Sprint Race because it was my first time starting at the front in Formula 3,” he said.

“But when I got into the car and arrived on the grid, everything faded away. It felt like being back on the front row in Euroformula. My mind was completely clear and I knew exactly what I had to do.”

David settled into second place behind race leader Ugo Ugochukwu and initially concentrated on staying close to the American. As the race developed, however, his focus shifted to protecting a potential maiden podium while under sustained pressure from the chasing pack.

“At first I was trying to stay close to Ugo and enjoying the fact that I was racing at the front,” said David.

“Then the DRS train started to catch me and I realised very quickly that I could not celebrate anything too soon. I had to stay completely focused.”

“For the rest of the race, I concentrated on getting the best possible exits and defending for as long as I could. I was just hoping the laps would count down and that I could hold on to P2, let alone the podium.”

“When I crossed the line, it was such a huge relief. I put my head in my hands and thought, ‘I actually did this.’ I remember saying on the radio, ‘How did we do this, guys?’ It was an incredible feeling.”

Sunday provided an immediate opportunity to prove that Saturday’s breakthrough was more than a single result. Starting 11th in the Feature Race, David spent much of the contest fighting around the points positions before crossing the line in the same position.

Following the final application of post-race penalties and a disqualification, David was promoted to seventh, completing his first double-points weekend in FIA Formula 3.

“To finish the Feature Race seventh in the final results makes the weekend even better,” he said.

“We scored points in both races, I achieved my first podium and it became a genuine breakthrough weekend for me and the team.”

Despite the strong result, David was characteristically analytical about areas where he believes further improvement remains possible.

“I could have managed the tyres better in the Feature Race and there were a couple of situations where I could have made better decisions with my racecraft,” he explained.

“When I was running around P10, I was trying to stay with the group ahead and I was probably too aggressive with the tyres. That hurt me at the Safety Car restart because they were already close to their limit.”

“That gives me two clear areas to work on for the next round: better tyre management and stronger restarts. I am very happy with the result, but I also know where I can improve.”

After a demanding opening phase to his rookie season, David believes Silverstone has removed a significant burden and confirmed to himself that he can compete at the front in FIA Formula 3.

“It definitely feels like a turning point,” he said.

“The biggest thing now is simply believing in myself and going for it. I have so much confidence in my ability.”

“The opening part of the year has been tough at times, particularly balancing racing with my A-levels and feeling that I was at the limit of how much I could give to every part of my life and career.”

“To finally have this success and achieve a result I still almost cannot believe has lifted a huge weight from my shoulders. I do not think it changes who I am or completely changes my mindset; it is more a huge sigh of relief.”

“Now I know I can approach the rest of the season without carrying that weight and pressure. I can focus on the passion I have for racing, on competing and on winning.”

The FIA Formula 3 Championship continues at Spa-Francorchamps from 17–19 July, where David will look to build on the weekend that transformed his rookie campaign.

Yevan David’s racing is supported by Lion Beer 0.0%, Maliban, Dimo Group, Nations Trust Bank, and the Ceylon Motor Sports Club (CMSC).